This week we are chatting to Nicole Turner founder and chief behaviour changer of the sustainability initiative Mainstream Green just before she brings her inspiring seminar over to Tauranga on the 22nd of November. Minimalist expert Nic’s goal is to “createa ‘Greenfulness™ movement- which means to become more mindful of what we buy and the waste it creates, and being empowered to make better choices which don’t compromise your lifestyle". Check out Nic’s guest post below where she discusses the importance of mindfulness in sustainability and her top tips on how to change your habits for a better, greener lifestyle below.

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Greenfulness… it’s the latest wellness trend to hit the streets. If you’re not already on-board, it’s time to get amongst it.

These days we can buy almost anything imaginable, from anywhere in the world and even have it delivered to our doorstep if we choose.

Consumption has become the hallmark of our modern day society.

We’re living the dream… or are we?

In a weird twist, our freedom to consume is having a detrimental impact on our own wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of the planet.

There’s constant pressure to consume our way to a better version of ourselves. We’re working more to pay for our consumption, and our lives are becoming overrun with stuff and the overwhelm that goes with it.

De-cluttering has become an annual household event, and there’s a lot of us that have garages so full of stuff, we can’t even fit a car in them.

And then there’s the planet… through the resources we’re using and the waste we’re creating, our constant hunger for consumption is taking its toll.

Greenfulness is all about being more mindful about how we consume and the waste we create. It’s breaking the autopilot of consumption and questioning our quest for more. It’s taking a micro-pause and asking ourselves: ‘do I really need or want this?’ And if the answer is ‘yes, it’s considering different way of sourcing it; second-hand, local, package free, growing or making it yourself or simply sharing.

Greenfulness is about simplifying and making conscious choices.

16 years working in the corporate world of consumer goods meant consumption was totally my jam. But things started to take a different path after skin irritations and allergies in the family triggered a journey to start reducing our chemical load. A heightened awareness around the products we were using on our skin, expanded to all the products and stuff we were consuming and ultimately the waste we were creating. Six years on we’ve significantly improved our own wellbeing as well as our impact on the planet.

For us, living with a philosophy of Greenfulness has freed up time, energy and money. Life is simpler and more intentional, and we’ve also managed to significantly reduce our impact on the planet. The best thing about it is that we haven’t had to compromise our lifestyle; in fact it’s got better!

I’m now all about creating a movement of Greenfulness – it’s better for our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of our planet.

Here’s my 6 tips to Greenfulness:

1. Question convenience – We've been conditioned to believe that buying something new is the easiest, quickest and best way. There’s always another way, and a lot of the time it saves you both time and money.

2. Buy necessities in bulk - it saves you time, money and packaging. Something as simple as switching to double length toilet paper will halve your packaging waste.

3. Choose quality over quantity - while it's tempting to buy something cheap, that price always comes at a cost and the last thing the world needs is more broken stuff!

4. Avoid temptation - don't go aimlessly browsing at the mall. If you do find something you want… sleep on it.

5. Choose experiences over things – it’s a great way to spend time together and create memories.

6. Just start – “no one can do everything, but everyone can do something” Max Lucado.

Join Nic Turner, for an evening of inspiration and tips on how to live a life with less stuff, less waste and less impact. Nic will share how as a family of four they’ve changed their relationship with stuff, freed up time and significantly reduced their waste to one wheelie bin a year. A passionate advocate for keeping it real, she’ll show you how living more sustainably is about making simple changes which don’t have to take any more time or effort.